Sunday, May 28, 2017

Welcome to the FFBC: The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone

The Unlikelies

Five teens embark on a summer of vigilante good samaritanism in a novel that's part The Breakfast Club, part The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and utterly captivating.

Rising high school senior Sadie is bracing herself for a long, lonely, and boring summer. But things take an unexpected turn when she steps in to help rescue a baby in distress and a video of her good deed goes viral.

Suddenly internet-famous, Sadie's summer changes for the better when she's introduced to other "hometown heroes." These five very different teens form an unlikely alliance to secretly right local wrongs, but when they try to help a heroin-using friend, they get in over their heads and discover that there might be truth in the saying "no good deed goes unpunished." Can Sadie and her new friends make it through the summer with their friendships--and anonymity--intact?

This rich and thought-provoking novel takes on timely issues and timeless experiences with a winning combination of romance, humor, and wisdom.

Hi Carrie!! We’re so excited to have your book in our FFBC Tours, and can’t wait to ask you a couple of questions about your new book THE UNLIKELIES!!

Hi! Thank you so much for this opportunity!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Favorite Book?

There are so many! The best book I’ve read this month was STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel. I loved the premise and the way the lives of the characters intertwined.

Favorite TV show?

Game of Thrones (Shame. Shame. Shame.)

Favorite movie?

The Goonies

Favorite Song?

Imagine by John Lennon

Favorite Food?

Definitely popcorn

Name 3 fictional places you would move to in a heartbeat.

The Boxcar (from the Boxcar Children); The Chocolate Factory (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory); The House (Little House on the Prairie)

What were your favorite books growing up? (I was a Fear Street girl!)

Oooh. I would have loved those books, but I’m old so I was all about The Boxcar Children books, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, all the Judy Blume books, and all the Beverly Cleary books.

Favorite Quote?

“Human beings are more alike than unalike, and what is true anywhere is true everywhere…” –Maya Angelou (Passports to Understanding)

What do you find yourself “Fangirling” over?

If fangirling is what I think it is, I fangirled twice in my life. The first was when I met John F. Kennedy Jr. in the hallway of the school where I was teaching in NYC. The other time was when I met Barack Obama at a fundraiser. I said, “Welcome to Connecticut, Senator Obama. We love you.” He said, “Thank you. I love you, too!”

What were your 3 favorite books from the last year?

Other than STATION ELEVEN, I loved THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas, an awesome fantasy book called HEART BLADE by Juliana Spink Mills and WE ARE OKAY by Nina LaCour.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about THE UNLIKELIES?

THE UNLIKELIES is about a group of teens who meet at a luncheon where they are honored for being local heroes. They begin to hang out and end up fighting cyber trolls, real life bullies, and drug dealers, all while trying to honor an elderly man’s dying wish.

What 3 hashtags would you most associate with your book? (Could be a word or phrase or anything that would instantly make you think of THE UNLIKELIES.)

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

It’s funny because I see a little bit of The Goonies in this book. And I was definitely thinking about the revolution songs of The Beatles as I wrote. But I was most inspired by the “unlikely heroes” I have encountered in my life. I wanted to show that do-gooders can be cool and interesting and that while “no good deed goes unpunished,” it’s so important to keeping trying to do good things in this jaded world.

Tell us your favorite quote from THE UNLIKELIES.

This is totally random, but I like when Alice says, “Hello, little boy. Would you like some sassafras?”

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write? Or which part was the most difficult to get through?

I loved writing the Speakeasy scene because I would have hung out at Speakeasy all the time. The difficult scenes were the ones that dealt with the dark world of drugs and the pain that comes from watching someone you love suffer from addiction.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for THE UNLIKELIES– Which one would you pick?

Blackbird by The Beatles

Are there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read THE UNLIKELIES (specific music, snacks…)?

Suggested music: Anything by the Beatles (especially Blackbird)

Suggested snack: blueberry cobbler or biscuits with honey (both with a side of ice cream)

Suggested candy: candy necklace

Suggested time to read: early evening on a cloudy summer night

Suggested companion: a notebook to write down your own revolutionary ideas.

What’s next for you?

I’m planning to read and write a lot this summer. And I’m working on some of my own vigilante do-gooder projects! #UnlikelyRevolution

Thanks so much for answering our questions!! We love that you love The Goonies and The Beatles-- the Boxcar Children, Judy Blume, and Beverly Cleary are all pretty rad too!!Thank you! This was such a fun interview!!

Carrie Firestone has lived in rural, urban, and suburban places, and, while she currently lives in the suburbs, she is decidedly a CITY person. She loves parties, and all kinds of music, and books about random people doing random things in random places. She loves to travel with her husband, and two daughters, Lauren and Emily. When she isn’t writing, you might find her reluctantly sharing her popcorn at the movies, trying to get people (or dogs) to do a conga line, or adding items to her loose ends list.

So jealous you met JFK Jr AND President Obama!! Wow!! I love popcorn too, and the Ramona books were my favorite as a kid :) This is such a fun interview and definitely made me want to pick up the book, it sounds very unique. I'm not a huge Beatles fan but I do love Blackbird so that's a plus too. Great post Michelle!